Second Chance
by Rei-chan9
Summary: First ficcie. ^.^ UPDATE ALERT!!! Without trying, Yugi has set up a very successful clinic. A month after he arrives, someone who will change his life forever has entered his small clinic. Will Yugi have a second chance at love? Plz, go easy on me.
1. Drowning in Love

Rei-chan: Wow, my first posting. Hope you like it.  
  
Yugi: I'm sure they will.  
  
Rei-chan: ^.^ Thanx.  
  
Yami: Yeah right.  
  
Yugi: That isn't nice Yami!  
  
Yami: Whatever.  
  
Rei-chan: ;_; He's being a meanie!  
  
Yugi: He won't unless he wants to be alone tonight.  
  
Yami: O.O I'm sooooo sorry!!!!  
  
Rei-chan: Much better.  
  
Disclaimer: If I owned Yu-Gi-Oh, then I wouldn't be writing this, now would I?  
  
  
  
Today, nothing could go wrong. I had my friends and family, in particular Yami. Ever since I had met him, I have had these strange feelings for him. I had thought it was a small crush. I had only known him for a short time; yet, it felt like I have known him my entire life. Tea, I had a huge crush on her, before I met him. She didn't notice it, since I kept it well hidden. I thought I had until Yami caught me, looking at her. He told me to go for it, but she said she was interested in another. She only saw me as a friend. I didn't mind, because she was open and honest with me, instead of giving me the cold shoulder or the run around.  
  
Earlier this morning, we received our math test back. I received a perfect score on my geometry test. Tea received an A- while Joey and Tristan both barely passed. Ryou managed to get an A-. All of us studied together, but the other two received the lowest grade out of all of us. I told Joey and Tristan that I wouldn't mind tutoring them, to which they were extremely grateful.  
  
Tonight we planned on celebrating passing our test. Joey suggested we hang out at the arcade, but we wanted to something special so we decided to go to this new club. A new club had just opened last week. They allowed teenagers over thirteen to enter, because they didn't serve alcohol. Since then, it has become a popular hang out for teens like us. I haven't been there myself, but I heard it was cool place to hang out from Malik (hikari) and Marik (yami). Surprisingly, they got together, because they seemed worlds apart.  
  
"I can't wait for tonight!" I said cheerfully to no one.  
  
Opening the door, I heard moaning and a few thumping noises. What was that? I shoved the door to find Seto on top of our couch with someone underneath him. Why was he at my home? I stepped forward hesitantly. The two lovers didn't notice me as I walked into the room. They were completely engrossed in each other.  
  
Before either of the occupants noticed me, I ran upstairs and slammed the door with a loud sound. I couldn't believe my eyes and ears. Seto was making out with my yami!!! I could feel my heart breaking into thousands of pieces. Out of all the people, why did it have to be HIM!!! I thought they were rivals, not lovers, but then again, I was wrong about Malik and his yami.  
  
//Aibou?// Yami's deep voice echoed in my mind, full of concern.  
  
I immediately slammed my soul room door in his face. I didn't want him to see me like this. What was I going to do? I couldn't tell him that I had the hots for him, because apparently, he had a lover now. I can't be selfish. After all, I live with him twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. I had my chance and I blew it big time.  
  
Suddenly, I heard someone knocking on my bedroom door. What did they want? Can't they leave me alone in my misery? "What?" I managed to ask without cracking my voice.  
  
"Aibou, please tell me what's wrong," Yami pleaded through the door. He couldn't talk to me mentally, because I had blocked it.  
  
Deciding not to tell the truth, I told him a lie. "I was rejected."  
  
"Who would reject you?" Yami asked, with anger in his voice.  
  
"There is this one girl at school," I said, making her up. "I asked her if she would like to go out for some ice cream. She said she doesn't date midgets."  
  
"How could she say something like that?" Seto growled at my statement.  
  
"Whoever she is, she won't get away with it!" My darker half also growled. He has been hanging around Bakura too long.  
  
"Don't worry," I tried to assure them. "I'll get over it. I mean it's not like I had any real feelings towards her."  
  
"If you say so, Aibou," Yami said. Before I could respond, I heard him moaning through the door, followed by someone being shoved into my door. Just great.  
  
"Could you not do it in front of my room?" I asked them.  
  
"Sure thing," Seto spoke up. "Shall we go back to my place?"  
  
"What about your little brother?" Yami playfully asked the brunette.  
  
"He's at a friend's house," Seto answered, in which he must have received a positive response.  
  
If only Yami had treated me that way, I would be floating on air, but noooooo. I didn't have the guts to admit my true feelings for him, and now I have lost him. Why do I always get the short end of the stick? I had to end up looking like a third grader. Tea admitted she likes someone else. My yami has now hooked up with Seto, who I had thought to be his rival. Things couldn't get any worse.  
  
"We'll be back late tonight," Yami spoke up after a long period of silence.  
  
"I don't mind if you stay over at his house," I assured my darker half. "Grandpa and I haven't had quality grandfather-grandson time."  
  
"Are you trying to get rid of me?" Yami teased me.  
  
"No," I answered honestly this time. "I thought you would want to spend more time with your boyfriend and not worry about coming here at a certain time."  
  
"Thoughtful as always," Seto chuckled. "See I told you he wouldn't mind."  
  
"Oh hush you!" Yami said in a loud whisper. "If anything should happen, use our mind link to contact me, okay?" Even though he was in love with Seto, he still cared for me.  
  
"Okay," I told him before they departed. I flopped down onto my bed, hoping against all odds that this wasn't happening. I should go and help out grandpa.  
  
Trudging back down stairs, I found Grandpa unpacking the latest shipment from Kaiba Corps. We had ordered several dueling systems, since Seto had become our friends. I guessed it more due to the fact that Yami had become Seto's lover. Why do I feel jealous whenever I thought of them together? Duh, I was jealous. Malik had Marik and Ryou had Bakura. Who do I have? No one. Yeah, that was right, no one. Joey and Mai started dating awhile ago. Tristan and Serenity also began dating, but not without approval from her older brother.  
  
"Hi Grandpa," I greeted him.  
  
"Oh hi Yugi," Grandpa said, not looking at me. He kept his eyes on the products, because he had an armful of them and didn't want to drop them.  
  
I rushed to his side and picked up a few of the wobbling ones. "You should be more careful."  
  
"Look who's talking," Grandpa teased me.  
  
After we had rescued him, I told him about everything. I started from when I had received the invitation to the duelist kingdom and how we had gone to the island. Tristan and Tea had to sneak aboard. I gave Joey one of my star chips. Ryou, I don't know how he got there, but I had a feeling Bakura had a hand in it. He knew about the several obstacles I had to face in order to get to Pegasus' mansion. In turn, he knew about the duel in the Shadow Realm, where I nearly lost my soul.  
  
"I know," I said, trying to come up with a good come back. "If I hadn't have done it, you would still be in the hospital and the Kaiba brothers will still be stuck in the Shadow Realm."  
  
Upon hearing Seto's name, Grandpa narrowed his eyes and scowled a little. Ever since I had told Grandpa about the incident involving the billionaire and the castle, his dislike for Seto has increased, but he liked Mokuba. Come to think of it, how would he react if he knew my darker half started to date the brunette?  
  
"If you're going to ask, I already know," Grandpa said, arranging the systems on display. When he saw my confusion, he explained it. "Yami asked me not to tell you, because he wanted to tell you himself. I guessed you must have accidentally discovered on your own."  
  
"Yeah, but why wouldn't he tell me?" I questioned him.  
  
"I don't know," Grandpa shook his head. "I thought he would have told you by now."  
  
Yes, why hasn't Yami told me? Surely, he would have told his other half. "Do you need any help?" I asked, changing the subject.  
  
"Why thank you," Grandpa smiled in appreciation as we worked on putting up the displays.  
  
Later that night, I slinked into my empty bedroom. Even though Yami slept in his soul room, a part of me was missing. I could feel it throughout my body and soul. No, I refused to go crawling to him and asking him to return. I had distinctly told my other half to spend the night at Seto's. I shouldn't ask him to come back.  
  
The club had been a great idea, unfortunately everyone brought their dates. Joey brought Mai, who was extremely flattered by his constant attention. Tristan invited Serenity, but kept his distance, since big brother was within striking distance. Tea brought her boyfriend to the place. Ryou and his yami also made an appearance.  
  
We had started by playing each other on the computers. They had networked the computers and hooked up the network onto the internet. We played until one by one, each couple got up and excused themselves. Pretty soon, I was left by myself, even though I was playing against several users. However, not one of them was in the same room as me.  
  
When I had finished the game, I got up and looked around for them. During my search I discovered, Ryou and his yami hiding inside a closet. Bakura practically slammed the door on my face. A moment later, Ryou opened the door and profusely apologized for his yami's behavior. He told me that if his yami ever did that again, he would be sleeping on the couch. Bakura growled at this, but kept quiet the entire time. Tristan and Serenity were playing dance, dance revolution. Tea and her boyfriend were cheering on the couple. Joey and Mai were in a dark corner of the room, making out with each other.  
  
Everyone has found that special someone except me. What did I do to deserve this? When I had reached home, I packed my belongings. I wanted to get far away as possible from here. I had no place here. Joey was too busy with Mai to even notice me. Tristan and Serenity spent as much time together as possible. I just discovered Yami and Seto have a physical relationship. Ryou and his yami were pretty much the same way.  
  
I stood there with my backpack in hand and my dueling deck in hand. Now that I thought of it, why should I keep it? The little voice in my head, not my yami, told me to keep it, because Grandpa had given it to me. He spent his life, creating and perfecting this deck. Why should I let it go to waste and why should I waste his efforts? After all, he trusted me to keep it, and he allowed me to have it, even after the tournament.  
  
Turning around, I meant to leave, but suddenly the room started spinning. What was going on? I could see the colors blending with each other as the room spun faster and faster. If this kept up, I knew I was going to hurl any second. Someone, please make this stop!!!  
  
/YAMI!!!/ I didn't want to call him, but I needed help, and he did say to call him if I got into trouble. If this wasn't trouble, then call me tall.  
  
//AIBOU!!!// Hearing his voice had calmed down a bit to where I could rationally speak to him.  
  
/HELP!!! IN DANGER!!! COME QUICK!!!/ I had yelled through our link frantically, as the room continued to spin.  
  
//We'll be over, hang on!!// My yami's voice held a note of distress and worry.  
  
Suddenly, everything went black.  
  
  
  
Rei-chan: This is only a prologue. Tell me what you think.  
  
Yugi: So what happens to me?  
  
Rei-chan: You'll have to find out.  
  
Yugi: The evil cliff hanger has returned.  
  
Rei-chan: You could say that. If I don't get four good reviews, then I won't post the next chappie. If I receive five or more good reviews, then I will more than happily post within the next two days. 


	2. New Life

Rei-chan: O.O!!! WOW!!! 18 reviews in one day and I'm on the fav list of 2!!! *faints* @_@  
  
Yugi: Erm. Rei-chan would like to thank Shadowguardian and Maliklovers for putting her on their favorite authors list.  
  
Yami: Only two?  
  
Yugi: What do you expect? She's new here.  
  
Yami: I knew that.  
  
Yugi: *sighs* Anyways, Rei-chan would also like to thank Wingzero for directing her to ff.net.  
  
Yami: Who's she?  
  
Yugi: She's another authoress.  
  
Yami: Wasn't she the one who made you half boy-half girl?  
  
Yugi: That's her. I guess we should wake up Rei-chan.  
  
Yami: Way ahead of you.  
  
Disclaimers: Someone came up with the idea for Yu-Gi-Oh and wrote a story about it. Sadly it wasn't me.  
  
  
  
Blinking my eyes, I found myself in an oasis. Wasn't I in my bedroom? As a matter of fact how did I get here? There weren't any deserts in Japan, I think. Why was I here in the first place? The last thing I remembered was calling out to my darker half asking for help. Then everything went black. I glanced towards the sun, which was in the middle of the sky.  
  
I pulled out one of my blankets from my backpack when I realized something was missing. Patting myself down, I have my deck, my watch, and no!! My puzzle was missing. I stood up and frantically searched the surrounding area for it. This couldn't be happening. I lost the millennium puzzle. It wasn't like I could replace it.  
  
Sulking, I picked up my blanket and made myself a makeshift tent. Good thing, I had packed extra food and liquids inside my backpack. Otherwise, I would have starved in this desert. For one thing, I had no clue where I was. Second, I couldn't hunt even if my life depended on it. I should stay in the shade until the weather cools down, or I'll be drinking a lot of water. Yami told me about life in the desert. During the day, it became really hot. At night, you freeze your rear off. How can to extremes be together?  
  
As soon as I had rinsed off my hands, I crawled into my tent and spread out my sleeping back on the ground. I might as well get some rest before night falls. Who knew what lurks in the night? I sure don't. Yami usually protected me against them so I never had to worry. This time, I didn't have him to watch over me.  
  
Why was it whenever I had a good dream someone has to wake me up? I woke up to the melody of two or three boys fighting. A female voice chided them for their childish behavior. The boys immediately shut their mouths, when they heard her firm voice. Wait a second!! Those voiced sounded familiar. I poked my head to find Joey, Ryou, Malik, and Tea sitting near the water edge. They were refilling their flasks.  
  
"Hi there," I greeted them with a smile.  
  
Caught completely off guard, they whirled around with their swords in hand and aim them at me. What did I do? I was only greeting them. Since when did Ryou and Joey learn how to use a sword? I knew Ryou wouldn't hurt a fly, and Joey, let's not into that, shall we?  
  
"Hi," Ryou said, eying me carefully. "Who are you?"  
  
Great. His yami must have hit him in the head too many times. "Ryou, don't you know?"  
  
Ryou nearly dropped his sword in surprise. "How do you know my name?"  
  
"That's what I'd like to know," Malik said wearily. He kept a close watch on my every movement. I wouldn't do anything to harm them.  
  
"Malik, you don't recognize me either?" I asked, wondering what had gotten into them.  
  
"Do you think he holds a millennium item?" Joey asked his companions.  
  
"I certainly do not hold the millennium eye," I huffed with indignation.  
  
"What does the millennium eye have to do with this situation?" Tea asked me.  
  
"The millennium eye allows the holder to read minds," I informed the clueless people.  
  
"It can do that?" Malik gasped as he nervously held his sword.  
  
"Um, Joey can you put down your sword?" I asked him politely.  
  
"He can't read minds," 'Joey' slightly lowered his sword. "By the way, the name is Jounouchi, but everyone calls me Jou."  
  
"I'm Yugi," I introduced myself.  
  
"Anzu," 'Tea' spoke up.  
  
"If you don't mind me asking, what are you doing out here by yourself?" Ryou asked while sheathing his sword. "It isn't safe wandering around here, especially at night."  
  
"To tell you the truth, I have no clue where I am or how I even got here," I admitted. I didn't want to start off on a bad foot by telling them a lie.  
  
"You must be from a foreign land," Malik said, gesturing towards my unusual clothing.  
  
"Yeah, I'm from Japan," I said sheepishly. I didn't know why, but I felt strange telling them I was from. They should know, but then they weren't exactly the friends I knew and grew up with. It was as if they were from the past, my friends' past lives.  
  
"Where's Japan?" Anzu asked. She had also placed her sword away and approached me.  
  
"Japan is a large island off the coast of China," I answered her nervously, since she now stood a very short distance away from me.  
  
"You came all this way?" Jou blinked with disbelief.  
  
"Where is here?" I asked them out of curiosity.  
  
"You're in Egypt," Malik answered. He had started getting their site ready.  
  
"Do you have any place to go?" Ryou asked; his voice full of concern.  
  
I shook my head to answer no. "I just arrived here."  
  
"You can come with us," Anzu chirped cheerfully. "You guys don't mind?"  
  
Ryou shook his head. "I don't mind. It seems kind of strange. We just met each other, but I feel like we have known each other."  
  
"This reminds me of the Change of Hearts," I mused over the thought. They held their swords ready to attack me and now they were inviting me to stay with them.  
  
"How do you know my favorite duel monster is the Change of Hearts?" Ryou stuttered. The others watched in curiosity.  
  
"Just a lucky guess," I said hoping they would buy it.  
  
Malik and Jou went back to the task of setting up their tents near mine. Anzu started cooking their dinner while Ryou and I chatted about this or that. They took turns in cooking and setting up camp. Ryou's task was to find them something to eat.  
  
"Do you have a favorite duel monster?" Ryou asked me as we watched the sunset.  
  
"The Dark Magician," I said, while remembering my darker half.  
  
"That's the pharaoh's favorite duel monster," Ryou giggled. He tried to stop it, but he ended up giggling even louder.  
  
"Have you seen him?" I turned my attention to him.  
  
"Hardly anyone has seen him," Ryou sighed after calming down.  
  
"Oh," I said nonchalantly.  
  
"You don't want to mess with him," Ryou warned me. His chocolate brown eyes stared deeply into my amethyst eyes. "He's cold and uncaring. One time he sentenced a man to ten lashings for getting in his way."  
  
"How could he?" I gasped at the revelation.  
  
"He's the pharaoh," Ryou shrugged. "He can do anything he wants."  
  
"Someone should use the Change of Hearts on him," I said out of the blue.  
  
"You must not say such things," Ryou hissed. His eyes darted, searching for something or someone. "The pharaoh has spies. If he catches you saying things, only the gods knows what happened to you."  
  
"I promise I won't," I assured him, which helped him to calm down.  
  
"Do you duel?" Ryou inquired, full of curiosity.  
  
"Sometimes," I said, not wanting to answer any more questions.  
  
"Good," Jou said plopping down beside us. "Then I can duel you."  
  
"I don't think your Flame Swordsman can stand up against my duel monster," I chuckled at the thought of the Dark Magician versus the Flame Swordsman.  
  
Immediately Jou shot up as if someone had lit a cherry bomb underneath him. "How did you know I had a Flame Swordsman?"  
  
"Lucky guess," I said, realizing that I shouldn't have said that.  
  
"You are pretty lucky tonight," Anzu said while cooking. "Tell me, what is my favorite duel monster?" Her eyes had a hint of amusement.  
  
"The Magician of Faith?" I said trying to act nervous when I answered her question.  
  
"Yeah," Anzu blinked in disbelief.  
  
"What duel monster do you have?" Ryou questioned me.  
  
"Dark Magician," I said normally.  
  
My companions fell over when they heard my answer. What did I say? All I told them was that I had the Dark Magician. There wasn't anything special about him, was there?  
  
"And I thought the only person who can control the Dark Magician was the pharaoh himself," Malik whispered in a low voice.  
  
"Well, I haven't been practicing that much lately," I said, pulling out the card.  
  
"You use that to summon your duel monster?" Ryou gasped as he moved closer towards my duel monster card.  
  
"Sure I do," I said uneasily as every pair of eyes were watching me. I raised the said card high into the air and summoned my Dark Magician.  
  
"Yes Master Yugi," my Dark Magician said, while bowing down to me.  
  
The others stared in complete and utter shock. I turned to the others to ask them, when I saw them pale a few shades white. Guess I should snap them out of it. One by one they regained their composure.  
  
"I thought the Dark Magician only obeyed the pharaoh," Jou gasped as he tried hard not to stare at my duel monster.  
  
My Dark Magician made no comments to this. He simply waited me to give him his instructions. All I wanted him to do was to come out and show himself to the others, but it would be a waste of energy if I only asked him to that. "Would you mind taking the first watch?" I remembered what Ryou had mentioned earlier.  
  
"Yes Master Yugi," my Dark Magician hastily agreed.  
  
"He's sure obedient," Ryou said in amazement.  
  
Why wouldn't he be? I treat him as an equal and friend, not just some servant or slave. I considered him to be my friend.  
  
"The food is ready," Anzu interrupted our conversation.  
  
"Why don't you join us," Ryou said practically dragging me over to the pot. "We have enough food, because Jou eats too much."  
  
"I resent that!" Jou huffed.  
  
"Okay," I agreed to it. Glancing back, I saw my Dark Magician glare daggers at Ryou. "Ryou, I think you should let go before my duel monster rips out your arm."  
  
Ryou looked at my steaming Dark Magician and immediately released my arm. My duel monster calmed down quite considerably, now that his master was out of harm's way. "Sorry about that."  
  
"You sometimes get carried away," Malik teased the white haired boy.  
  
"Shove it," Ryou teased him back.  
  
"Can't we eat a meal without you guys fighting?" Anzu had her hands on her hips, with a stern look on her face.  
  
"Yes ma'am," both of them said, while Jou snickered. He received a slap on the back of his head.  
  
As we ate our dinner, we discussed life in Egypt.  
  
  
  
Yami: *throws a bucket of ICE COLD water on Rei-chan*  
  
Rei-chan: O.O!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!! *growls at Yami*  
  
Yami: *rolling on the floor laughing*  
  
Yugi: That wasn't nice.  
  
Rei-chan: YEAH!!! *soaking wet*  
  
Yami: It was funny.  
  
Rei-chan: I would like to see you try it. *throws a bucket of ICE COLD water on Yami*  
  
Yami: BRRRRR!!!!!! *glares at Rei-chan*  
  
Rei-chan: Oh and if you're wondering, Yugi has traveled into a different dimension.  
  
Yugi: So that's why the room was spinning.  
  
Rei-chan: Jou/Joey doesn't know about Honda/Tristan.  
  
Joey: Good.  
  
Rei-chan: Anyways, here's the layout.  
  
Yami: Pharaoh.  
  
Bakura: Yami's advisor.  
  
Seth: Yami's high priest.  
  
Marik: Yami's body guard.  
  
Mai: Yami's general and personal trainer.  
  
Mokuba: Seth's younger brother.  
  
Shizuka: Jou's younger sister.  
  
Couples:  
  
Yami/Yugi  
  
Bakura/Ryou  
  
Marik/Malik  
  
Seto/Jou  
  
Mai/Anzu  
  
Tristan/Shizuka  
  
Rei-chan: Also could someone tell me what Malik's favorite duel monster is? 


	3. New Friends

Rei-chan: O.O!! Two more people have added me to their fav list! *faints again*  
  
Yami: Why do we keep doing this if she's gonna faint?  
  
Yugi: Don't be harsh on her! She's new at ff.net and she didn't expect these results.  
  
Yami: True.  
  
Yugi: Rei-chan would like to thank Synchronized Love and Ni-chan for putting her on their favorites list.  
  
Yami: And she would like to correct her mistake from the last chapter.  
  
Honda: Yami's general.  
  
Mai: Yami's personal trainer.  
  
Mokuba: Healer.  
  
Yugi: That would be it.  
  
Disclaimer: Does anyone even bother to read this?  
  
  
  
My Dark Magician had watched over us the entire night. I told him to wake Jou, Malik, Ryou, or me, when his shift was over. It appeared he took his duty seriously. Then again, all Dark Magicians were like that. They were very serious and determined and loyal. My Dark Magician was no exception to the rule.  
  
"What's that?" Ryou asked me when I pulled out some of my candy.  
  
"It's chocolate," I answered his questions. When he had a curious look, I told him it was food. I broke off a piece and handed it over to him.  
  
Ryou popped it into his mouth and smiled. "It tastes good," he commented when he had swallowed. "How do you make those?"  
  
"Well, you need cocoa beans, sugar, milk," I ticked each item off. (I don't know the ingredients to chocolate ^^U)  
  
"I see," Ryou said. "You'd better not let Jou get any."  
  
"Thanks for the advice," I said gratefully, even though I already knew that. Joey had a huge sweet tooth so I figured that Jou must have one too.  
  
"We will be arriving at our village in two days," Ryou informed me as we packed up our belongings. It was Ryou's turn to do the packing.  
  
This morning was Malik's turn to cook. I don't know if it would be edible. Ryou assured me that I wouldn't die from it. Since they took turns, they each had to learn how to cook. Sometimes, they would go on trip individually so they had to learn how to prepare simple meals.  
  
When we had finished eating, I volunteered to wash the dishes, since they politely shared their food with me. We spent the morning loading and rearranging the luggage. After they had mounted their camels, they noticed I didn't have one.  
  
"One of yah has to double." Joey spoke up as he glanced at each of his companions. "Who's it gonna be? I can't cause I have most of the luggage."  
  
"I'll be honest," Anzu said hesitantly. "I don't feel comfortable with Yugi. No offense."  
  
"None taken," I assured her. I wondered which one I would end up with: Ryou or Malik. Secretly I hoped it would be Ryou. We got along well yesterday.  
  
"I will," Malik offered. "Out of all of us, I have the lightest load so I figure I should be the one." Well, I couldn't argue against his logic.  
  
"True," Ryou agreed with him. "Besides you're a much better rider than me."  
  
Malik slightly bushed at Ryou's comment. This went unnoticed by the others, but not by me. He gracefully leapt down and helped me onto his camel. When I had a secure position, he joined me on top and signaled his camel to start walking.  
  
"What brings you here?" Malik asked, starting a conversation.  
  
"Nothing really," I said, trying to think of a reasonable explanation as to why I was out here in the middle of the desert. "I'm more of a traveler. I don't stay in one place too long." Please let him buy it.  
  
"You must have visited several cities," Malik said, while keeping his eyes on the road ahead of us. He needed to keep his camel going the right direction.  
  
"Yeah, but they're pretty much boring," I said casually as if I was talking about every day events. "I mean once you've seen it all, it's hard to get excited."  
  
"Oh, tell me what have you seen?" Malik asked curiously.  
  
"The Great Wall of China," I answered nonchalantly, hoping that it had been built.  
  
"Wow!" Malik gasped. "You've been there? What's it like?"  
  
"It's just a wall that you can walk on and pulls carts on," I said, holding onto Malik's waist so I don't fall down. "The view there is beautiful, depending on which section you're looking from." I wasn't lying when I said I had visited the Great Wall of China. Grandpa and I went there on vacation. We spent a week on China.  
  
"I would like to go there one of these days," Malik sighed.  
  
"Maybe you'll get your chance," I said, attempting to sound assuring.  
  
"I hope so," Malik sighed once again.  
  
"Out of curiosity, have you met the pharaoh?" I asked him, unsure how he would respond to such a question. The Yami I knew was caring, gentle, and overprotective of me.  
  
"I haven't met him and I pray that we will never cross paths," Malik said in a harsher tone. "He's cold and ruthless. Trust me, you never want to meet him, unless you want to die."  
  
"I'll keep that in mind," I said, almost letting my disappointment show.  
  
Before I can ask another question, Malik started to explain the situation. "He wasn't always like that. Two or three years ago, his wife died, leaving him with a son. Since then, he hasn't been the same. His heart hardened and he won't allow anyone to come close to him."  
  
"I see," I said understanding what had happened. So that was why he was mean to his people.  
  
"Why do you want to know?" Malik questioned my motives.  
  
"I tend to find out about the rulers of the nations that I'm visiting," I answered him. "I especially don't want cross their paths."  
  
"Good idea," Malik said as Ryou rode alongside us.  
  
"What are you two talking about?"  
  
"We're talking about the pharaoh," Malik answered for me. "Don't worry, we aren't saying anything negative about him."  
  
"Good, you never know who might be listening onto us," Ryou said cautiously.  
  
"You worry too much," Jou teased him as he took the lead.  
  
"And you get into too much trouble," Anzu returned as she went past him while slapping Jou in the back of his head as she passed.  
  
"Hey!" Jou growled at her, but decided against returning the gesture.  
  
"Are they always like this?" I asked Malik, very curiously.  
  
"Yes, they are," Malik sighed, shaking his head. "They act more like brother and sister than friends. Jou doesn't act this way with his little sister."  
  
"Jou has a sister?" I said a little surprised. Why shouldn't he? I mean Joey had Serenity. "I hope she doesn't have any eye conditions."  
  
"She does," Malik gasped, nearly falling off his camel and taking me with him. "How do you know?" I could tell he had a surprised look on his face.  
  
"Premonition?" I shrugged. I couldn't tell him the truth, because he wouldn't believe me in the first place. Heck, I wouldn't believe myself and I was the one who went through it.  
  
"Okay," Malik said with an unbelieving tone of voice.  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^Two Days Later^^^^^^^^^^^  
  
It seemed like an eternity until we reached their small village. We had been traveling via camels, and now my butt was extremely sore. I haven't ridden a camel; let alone ridden one for two days. As soon as we stopped in the village, I slid off the camel and rubbed my sore end, which caused the others to go into fits of laughter.  
  
"Jou!!" A feminine voice screamed before launching herself at the tall blonde. She grabbed onto him and hugged him tightly.  
  
"Shizuka, this is Yugi," Jou introduced us. "Yugi, this is my little sister, Shizuka."  
  
"Nice to meet you," she chirped before turning her full attention to her brother.  
  
"You don't know how much I was worried about you," she scolded her older brother. "I heard there were bandits and I thought you could have been ..." Her voice trailed off.  
  
"I'm here in one piece," he said trying to calm his sister down. "Sorry, we couldn't find you a physician to heal you."  
  
"I don't care," Shizuka pleaded with her older brother as the rest of us watched. "You don't have to risk your lives looking for one. I don't mind being blind."  
  
"But I do," Jou said, holding his sister in a protective embrace.  
  
"Maybe there is something I can do," I said, stepping forward. "I've been learning about medicine so I may know a cure."  
  
"All right!" Jou cheered very happily and hugged his sister.  
  
"As I said, I may know a cure," I said again. I didn't want to get their hopes up.  
  
"Would you mind taking a look?" Jou practically begged me.  
  
"Sure," I answered him. "Do you have a room we could use?"  
  
"Anything yah need, just ask," Jou said, while guiding his sister and me to their house.  
  
When we entered their house, I took my flashlight out of my backpack and was about to examine Serenity, when I saw Jou pacing back and forth. The others waited patiently as I prepared to figure out what she had.  
  
"Would you mind waiting outside?" I asked them politely. Just having Jou around made me nervous, since he was pacing back and forth.  
  
"Sure thing," Ryou said as he and Malik dragged the reluctant older brother out of the house.  
  
"Please use everything in your power to save her sight. I have faith in you," Anzu pleaded to me before making her departure.  
  
I turned around to find my patient staring at the flashlight in my hand. She seemed kind of nervous. I would be too if I saw something unusual. "This won't hurt." I turned on the flashlight and proceeded to look into her eyes. True, Serenity had a birth defect that required surgery, but Shizuka was a different story. Hers wasn't as advanced as Serenity's and thus required no operation. She just needed to continue treatment for awhile.  
  
"So?" Shizuka asked nervously for the results.  
  
"I have good news and bad news," I said with a small smile. "The good news is that it can be cured." She beamed at the results. "The bad news is that you'll be taking medication for awhile. I don't know how long so I'll have to check on you once a week."  
  
"I don't mind," Shizuka said with glee as she hopped off the table and ran out of the room. Pretty soon I heard cheering followed by the others rushing in for a group hug.  
  
"If you don't mind, I'd like to breathe!" I had a hard time getting my message across before they realized they were suffocating me and broke the hug.  
  
"Thank yah a million times!" Jou thanked me profusely. "What do I owe yah?"  
  
"You owe me nothing," I said turning down the offer. "That's what friends do."  
  
"Friends, I like dah sound of dat!" Jou beamed at our new friendship.  
  
"I would also like it," Ryou said, stepping forward.  
  
Malik nodded from where he stood against the wall.  
  
"Me too," Anzu agreed with her friends.  
  
"Ditto," Shizuka smiled.  
  
"Jou, I need to go to the market," I informed the confused blonde.  
  
"Why would you want to go there?" Jou asked me.  
  
"I have to pick up a few things for the Shizuka's medicine and I don't know where to go."  
  
"Why didn't yah say so?" Jou said before dragging me past my new friends and to the market. "What are we waiting for!"  
  
  
  
Yami: *pulls out a fire hose and prepares to aim it at Rei-chan*  
  
Rei-chan: *hiding behind a desk with a fire hose*  
  
Yami: *can't find Rei-chan where he left her*  
  
Rei-chan: *sneaks up on Yami and turns the hose onto full blast*  
  
Yami: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
Rei-chan: *giggles as she turns off the hose*  
  
Yami: GRRR!!!! *is soaking wet and glaring daggers at Rei-chan*  
  
Rei-chan: *runs off before Yami could say or do anything*  
  
Yami: *blink blink blink blink*  
  
Yugi: *sees the entire thing and falls over laughing while clutching his side*  
  
Yami: Very funny aibou.  
  
Yugi: *laughing so hard he starts crying*  
  
Yami: --UUU 


	4. First Meeting

Rei-chan: It's about time I updated.  
  
Yami: Why haven't I made an appearance?  
  
Rei-chan: As I recalled, you were in the first chapter.  
  
Yami: You know what I mean.  
  
Rei-chan: Well, first Yugi has to meet the gang; then he goes to live with them.  
  
Yami: Understandable.  
  
Rei-chan: Second, we needed to get some character insight onto you as pharaoh.  
  
Yami: Good point.  
  
Rei-chan: And besides, you make your first appearance here.  
  
Yami: I do?  
  
Rei-chan: Yup!  
  
Disclaimers: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, no surprise here.  
  
Four weeks have passed since I arrived at their house. Since I had nowhere to stay, they agreed to let me live with them. This helped on keeping a regular check up with Shizuka and her daily medications. I had to spend the first week teaching the others just in case I happened to be out or busy at the moment. Also I made a list with instructions on how to make the medicine, for emergencies. Although Jou insisted that I teach him how to prepare it. He wanted to help take care of his sister. It didn't surprise me a bit, seeing as Joey was overprotective of Serenity. Of course, it took me the entire two weeks to instruct him in to make it. It wouldn't have taken long, but Jou had no clue what each plant was. I had to show him which plant was which and we spent a long time on it, because I didn't want him to be using the wrong plants.  
  
It also helped that I had experience in herbal medicine, some of which were way advanced for this time. As a result, we have had people visiting us, asking me to cure whatever they had. In return, they either gave us some goods they made or money. Ryou became my assistant or apprentice, whatever they called it in these times. He expressed an interest in learning about medicine. Some day, he will be able to treat patients on his own.  
  
Soon we found it difficult with the two of us. Anzu volunteered her services as the secretary so we could focus on the patients. She helped us out with the patients, when there weren't many waiting. In fact, during our first week, we didn't have many, but in the second week, everything became hectic. We had to convert part of our home into a make shift clinic until we can purchase another house. At first we weren't planning on starting a hospital here, it kind of happened on its own. It started with Shizuka; then slowly more people asked for my services. Pretty soon, more followed, and I couldn't keep track after that.  
  
Jou and Malik tended to the life stock. They took care of the camels and other creatures they had raised there, since the rest of us were busy. Shizuka would help her big brother with the chores before going about her daily tasks. She cooked for us when we were working or doing other chores. In the evening, we would all take turns cooking. As for our laundry and cleaning our room, we were responsible for cleaning our own.  
  
By the fourth week, we had to move the clinic into a separate house. There were too many people waiting to be diagnosed and cured. We had people waiting outside the streets for a chance to be seen by me. With the way our business has gone, we had enough money to purchase a house not that far from our home. We moved the clinic there permanently.  
  
"What a rough day," Ryou said, slumping into the chair.  
  
We had just finished treating our last patient for the day. "I know what you mean. This can be exhausting. Who would have ever known we became this popular?"  
  
"Not me," Anzu sighed from where she laid. "Yugi, have you seriously thought of hiring someone to help you?"  
  
I nodded my head to her questions. "Seriously, I have, but I can't just train someone in a short amount of time and expect them to be up and running on his own."  
  
"I've been studying for a month now and I still don't know that much," Ryou sighed. He shifted uncomfortably in his chair.  
  
"I've been studying it since I was a child," I said, taking a seat in the waiting area.  
  
"It won't take me that long?" Ryou inquired with wide eyes.  
  
"No, it took me awhile, because I had no one to teach me," I answered in a soft voice. "From the way you're absorbing the information, I guess maybe around two years, you should be able to work on your own."  
  
"You mean that?" Ryou gasped at the prospect.  
  
"I'm not lying," I said, leaning back in the chair.  
  
"That's good," Anzu said. "You've been taking way too many patients lately." She motioned towards the window. Night had already fallen.  
  
"I guess you're right," I sighed. I didn't want anyone to be left outside after waiting for such a long time. "Maybe I should start doing appointments or something."  
  
"That would help," Ryou stated. He was staring at the ceiling.  
  
"We should probably be heading back," I said, reluctantly getting out of the comfortable chair.  
  
"Yeah, Serenity would have a fit about us working late hours," Anzu giggled.  
  
"Not to mention, Malik," Ryou added in with a smile. "It's his turn to cook dinner, and I don't think he wants to wait for us."  
  
As we headed out of the clinic, I locked the door behind us. Ryou and Anzu wait for me to finished locking up before they started towards our home. When we reached it, Malik was impatiently waiting for us in the kitchen. I could tell he was extremely upset about something.  
  
"What took you so long?" Malik inquired with his hands over his chest.  
  
"A pregnant mother couldn't wait until tomorrow to deliver her baby," I answered as we strolled into the kitchen.  
  
"Oh," Malik's expression softened. He understood that sometimes we returned late, because of some dire emergency. One time, a man had been poisoned and didn't have very long to live. If it could wait until tomorrow, we usually asked the patient to come back and I would see him or her first thing in the morning.  
  
"Did you save us some food?" Ryou asked hopefully. We all knew Jou tended to eat more than his share.  
  
"Yes, I did," Malik smiled a little before pulling out our dinner. It became cold, since it had been sitting around.  
  
"Thanks," we all chorused; then we all dug into the food.  
  
The following day, we received more customers than we had originally anticipated. Now they were overflowing from our waiting rooms and onto the streets. When Anzu had first opened the doors, they came crowding into the waiting area, hoping to be seen that day. Ryou and I were in the back, getting our equipment ready. When Anzu had first opened the doors, they came crowding into the waiting area, hoping to be seen that day. Ryou and I were in the back, getting our equipment ready. By now, I constructed simple medical equipment, using what I had. I taught Ryou how to use them, and he helped me when it came to simple procedures.  
  
"This is going to be another long day," I sighed while looking at our waiting room. They had literally crammed themselves in there.  
  
"I know," Ryou also sighed.  
  
"I wondered how they found out about this place," I mused out loud. "We didn't advertise it or anything. I didn't put up a sign."  
  
"I think our earlier patients may have a hand in this," Ryou giggled as we finished our routine equipment check and cleaning. "You know news travels fast, when you can use it."  
  
"I wouldn't have guessed," I replied a little sarcastically.  
  
"Yeah, that's how they know to come here," Ryou shrugged. He picked up a tray and placed it back into the shelf.  
  
"We'll have to tend to our patients," I changed the topic, when I heard Anzu trying to calm them down. "They're getting restless."  
  
"I know what you mean," Ryou said following behind me.  
  
"Your first patient is waiting to see you," Anzu said with relief, once she saw us appear through the doors. She handed over a piece of paper with the necessary information.  
  
Our first patient was a little girl, who had caught a bad cold. I examined her, since Ryou had no clue what the girl had. Her mother sat waiting in the same room. When she first saw me, she thought it was a joke, because I looked so young. Then I started pulling out my make-shift equipment and started to examine her.  
  
"Is she going to be alright?" Her mother asked, very worried.  
  
"She's going to be fine," I assured her, putting away my stethoscope. "She needs lots of rest and fluids. I recommend staying in bed for at least five days." I rummaged through my pre-made packets and pulled out enough to last her for those five days. "Boil water and place one packet each time. She should drink this once a day."  
  
"Thank you," she said gratefully before scooping up her daughter and taking the medicine.  
  
Ryou started cleaning the equipment, when I exited the room to get the next patient. The mother had gone to Anzu and paid for the visit. Since it was a short one and didn't require much effort, I didn't charge that much. Besides, many of my customers were poor. I didn't have the heart to charge them a lot, and even if they couldn't afford it, they usually returned with something they either made or grown.  
  
Somewhere mid to late morning, I had Ryou go into the separate room. He was going to the simple procedures, while I would be diagnosing the patient with his results. This proved to be very efficient, since I could concentrate on the more difficult portion.  
  
Around noon, I had told Anzu that we would be taking a break soon so she would know not to prepare any more patients for Ryou to start on. I had two more patients to go. One of them was heading towards Ryou's station and the other one was headed towards my room. Both cases proved to be very easy as they had the common colds.  
  
"We're going on our lunch break," Anzu announced to the people in the waiting room, who just groaned. Some of them have been waiting there for a couple of hours. "Please understand, we have too many of you to see this morning and we're really hungry."  
  
The crowd went back to mumbling about not being seen right away. If I would have known they acted that way, I wouldn't have opened up this clinic and charge practically nothing. It was only by large volume of patients that we earned anything. I hoped they appreciated what efforts we put into keeping this place open.  
  
Anzu headed back to our offices and locked the door connecting the waiting room to the hallway. Sometimes, people tended to be rude and barge in on us, while we were trying to eat. They said it was an emergency, but from the way they look, I can tell it could wait an hour. I hated it when people get impatient, because I was trying the best I can to diagnose them, get their medications right, and then send them off.  
  
"Some people are just too pushy," Anzu grumbled as she took out our lunches.  
  
We were too tired to move around. Ryou and I had been on our feet since we opened the clinic. Our secretary on the other hand, mostly sat around and got up when she needed to deal with one of our patients. One time, she had to literally throw someone out for being plain rude. She informed us, the day it happened.  
  
"I know what you mean," Ryou sighed. That was beginning to become a habit these days.  
  
"I'm thinking of raising my fees," I mused out loud. "That way, we don't receive so many patients." I paused to think some more. "Then those unfortunate people can't afford my treatment." I mindlessly started eating my meal.  
  
"I want to help the poor, but this is getting ridiculous," Ryou said, when he finished swallowing.  
  
"How do we get that many patients in one day?" I asked the both of them. "Surely, there must be other physicians out there."  
  
"Yes, there are," Anzu sighed this time. "They aren't as well trained as you are, and they cost a fortune to see."  
  
"We tried to find someone who can cure Shizuka's eye problem," Ryou sad, in a sad tone. "They kept telling us, they can't do it or they charged a lot of money."  
  
"The crooks," Anzu spat out. "All they want is money. They don't care about the patients."  
  
"Is that so?" I inquired.  
  
"Yeah," Anzu said softly. "They don't even try to help their patients get better beyond the necessary. They're not like you. You care about everyone, from the poor to the rich."  
  
"She's right," Ryou backed her up. "You have longer hours than they do. You don't charge as much as they do, which allows the poorer people to be seen."  
  
"Sometimes, I don't know why I even put up with them," I sighed, leaning against my chair. "Then I look at a young child's face and it makes everything worth while."  
  
"You said it," Ryou said.  
  
Suddenly, there was someone banging on the door. Can't they see we were on our lunch break? Anzu had left a sign on the door, saying that we weren't to be disturbed unless it was some dire emergency. She glared at the door before getting up and calling out to the other person.  
  
"What do you need?" She asked with a calm voice.  
  
"We need the physicians help," came the reply.  
  
"Is it an emergency?" She asked.  
  
"Yes," the voice said. "Well, not really."  
  
"Then you can wait until we're finished with our break," Anzu stated flatly with a smug grin on her face. She turned around and headed back towards the table when someone knocked down the door with brute force.  
  
"You will see him now," a guard walked into the hallway. Good thing, he couldn't see the two of us, sitting at the table.  
  
"I'm not the physician," Anzu flatly stated. "I'm just the help."  
  
"Then where is he?" A deep voice came from outside the door.  
  
"Your highness, you shouldn't be wandering around," the guard said quickly to the other person.  
  
The pharaoh stood at the door, waiting very impatiently for me to come out. He looked like the Yami I knew from my time, but his eyes said another thing. They weren't the warm and caring ones, I have gotten used to. No, they were cold and full of pain. "I will go where I please."  
  
"Your highness," Anzu gasped at the pharaoh. She immediately bowed down to him, because whenever the pharaoh was around, you'd better bow or suffer the consequences.  
  
"Where is the physician?" He inquired while scanning the area.  
  
"He's back there," Anzu pointed towards the door, that led to us.  
  
The pharaoh quickly made his way over towards the door, with his guard following closely behind us. When he had approached the entrance, he gasped at the sight before him.  
  
Cold ruby eyes stared into warm amethyst eyes.  
  
Rei-chan: There!  
  
Yami: Yes! I'm finally in!  
  
Yugi: ............  
  
Rei-chan: What am I going to do with you?  
  
Yami: Put me into your story?  
  
Rei-chan: *face faults*  
  
Yugi: *giggles*  
  
Rei-chan: Anyways, the more reviews the faster I update.  
  
Yami: So please review, cause I want her to write the next chapter!  
  
Yugi: *massive sweatdrops*  
  
Rei-chan: ................... 


	5. Yami

Yami: ^______________________________^  
  
Rei-chan: What's he so happy about?  
  
Yugi: He gets a larger role this chappie.  
  
Rei-chan: I see.  
  
Yami: *still grinning like crazy*  
  
Yugi: Don't worry. I'm sure we can snap him out of it.  
  
Disclaimers: .................  
  
Yami's cold expression dropped for a moment as he stared into my eyes. I wouldn't believe it myself, if I didn't already know it. No, what surprised me was the way he acted. It wasn't his usual caring and charismatic self. It was like he was someone else all together.  
  
"What in the name of gods is he?" Yami said, blinking in disbelief.  
  
"I don't know, your highness," his guard replied warily.  
  
In the mean time, Ryou and Anzu looked back and forth between the two of us. Their faces appeared pale and very shocked, to say the least. They looked like they were on the verge of fainting but managed to stay conscious.  
  
"He can't be a curse? Can he?" Yami questioned as we both stood in our current positions.  
  
"I don't think he would be a curse; otherwise he would be six feet tall with huge muscles and ....," the guard answered.  
  
"Honda, I think that's enough playing around," Yami returned a little coldly to his guard.  
  
"Sorry bout that," Honda scratched the back of his head. "Maybe it's some kind of prank?"  
  
"That would be in Mokuba's area," Yami said with indifference.  
  
"You know both him and your look alike are healers," Honda shrugged. He moved his sword to a comfortable position.  
  
"Yes, but Mokuba is learning how," Yami said. He kept his eyes on me as if studying me the entire time. "If he's not a curse then he must be a blessing."  
  
Meanwhile, I stood there watching their conversation. I didn't want to interrupt, because first of all, I didn't want to lose my head. Second, I don't want anyone to find out about my past. Third, this Yami was like a different person. It wasn't the Yami that I had known and grown to love.  
  
"From the reports I've heard, he's healed several of the peasants," Honda mentioned. "Many of them couldn't be cured by your average physician."  
  
"He must have some powers then," Yami said, taking a few steps forward.  
  
As he took a step forward, I took a step back until I hit the wall. I couldn't go any further back. Shaking nervously, I watched as he approached me until he was just centimeters away from my face. I tried calm myself down, but how can I with him in my personal space.  
  
"Are you a curse?" Yami asked me directly.  
  
I shook my head to answer no. I didn't dare speak, cause I know I'll crack.  
  
"Are you a blessing?" Yami eyed me carefully.  
  
"I hope so," I managed to find my voice.  
  
"If you are not a curse or a blessing, then what are you?" Yami said finally at his end.  
  
"To tell you the truth, I don't know," I answered before turning away from him.  
  
"Who are you?" Yami asked in a suave voice.  
  
I looked up when I heard a change in his voice. What was he up to? "I'm Yugi Motou," I answered, trying not to squeak.  
  
"What an unusual name," Yami mused. "I take it, you're not from here."  
  
"I'm from Japan," I said.  
  
"I've heard you are a great physician," Yami said carefully.  
  
"I'm not that great," I mumbled. Truth was, I wasn't. There were so many better ones out there, but that was back in my time.  
  
Yami raised a brow at this. "Humble, I see."  
  
"I try to be modest," I answered.  
  
"We don't have many of those around," Yami said nonchalantly.  
  
"Your highness, your council awaits you," a Ryou look alike said before his mouth literally hit the floor. He stood there staring at Ryou.  
  
"I know what you mean, Bakura," Yami said, indicating me.  
  
"You have one too," Bakura said. He looked between the two of us and them. "Is this a curse or a blessing from the gods?"  
  
"We don't know," Yami answered.  
  
"Do they know why you're here?" Bakura asked Yami sternly.  
  
"They don't," Yami said coldly. "And I do not wish to discuss it in front if peasants."  
  
When the others heard this comment, they had different reactions. Anzu looked ready to kill, while Ryou backed off. I was upset at Yami, but I couldn't say anything. This was not the Yami I knew and grew to love. He was someone else all together.  
  
"You're coming with us," Yami said before turning and walking towards Bakura.  
  
"What about my patients?" I asked Yami.  
  
Honda and Bakura appeared to be shocked as I questioned the pharaoh. I've been told never to question him, but I couldn't help myself. He reminded me too much of my Yami back at home, I kinda let my tongue slip.  
  
"They have no further use for you," Yami waved his hand over his shoulder.  
  
They needed my help, because they couldn't get it anywhere else. From what I have heard, the other places charge too much or they can't cure the illness. I couldn't leave these poor people to die or suffer. Unfortunately, his highness didn't understand.  
  
"I can't leave them," I protested, not wanting to leave them to their death or pain.  
  
"Honda, Marik, take care of this," Yami said walking past Honda and Bakura.  
  
Before I could say or do anything Honda and a Malik look alike started heading towards me. I didn't want to leave my patients, but at the same time, I didn't want to be captured. As they were about to grab me, I ducked under their arms. Sometimes, it paid to be small.  
  
I summoned my Silver Fang and hopped on his back. Before we left the door, I grabbed Bakura on the way out. Since he couldn't summon his monster, he had to rely on me. I would have grabbed Anzu, but there wasn't enough room for her. Hopefully, Yami wouldn't harm her, but then again, he wasn't the one I had known.  
  
"You think we can get away?" Ryou asked, clinging onto me as if his very life depends on it. We had bursted through the waiting room and out onto the street, where the remaining soldiers were caught off guard.  
  
"I think so," I answered him. "I have my Dark Magician and other magic cards as well."  
  
"Oh," Ryou said, not understanding the concept of magic cards.  
  
Behind us, I could hear Yami yelling out orders to catch us. Pretty soon, the soldiers mounted their camels and started chasing after us. I knew that my duel monster should have the advantage, being a duel monster. The only problem was that he was carrying two passengers instead of one. That gave the soldiers a chance to catch up.  
  
"They're gaining on us," Ryou said urgently as he turned around to look behind us.  
  
"Then we'll just have to go faster," I said. Silver Fang heard me and quickened his pace, slowly outdistancing our chasers.  
  
Hopefully we can keep this up, because Silver Fang was drawing energy off of me in order to stay in this dimension. I had been practicing with Yami. That was before I found out that he was dating Seto, but that was back then. This was now. I had to get away from these men, because the poor people depended on my services. I couldn't let them down, so I would have to become a fugitive on the run. That doesn't sound like a good prospect.  
  
"We're going to be in big trouble for this," Ryou sighed as we approached another small town.  
  
"Where's Jou and Malik?" I asked my human companion.  
  
"They still could be at home," Ryou's eyes widened. "I certainly hope they're not!"  
  
"We can only pray they're not," I sighed this time.  
  
As we approached the next town, people stared at us. It wasn't the fact that we looked strange or had on normal clothing. They were staring at my duel monster, who seemed to be very exhausted. After that run, I couldn't blame him. Both of us had gotten off of him, allowing him to move with ease.  
  
"You deserve a rest," I said, patting him on his head.  
  
Silver Fang licked my hand in appreciation, before returning back to his card. The surrounding people were shocked, because normally, duel monsters were contained in slabs of rocks, not think paper or cards.  
  
"You think they have something else better to do," I whispered to Ryou.  
  
"It isn't everyday, people see duel monsters being held in cards."  
  
"You have a point," I said shrugging.  
  
Jou and Malik suddenly burst through the crowd that had been gathering around us. Good, that meant that they weren't at our home. Which also meant, they couldn't summon their duel monsters if they needed help.  
  
"What are you two doing here?" Jou asked before his companion could speak a word.  
  
"The pharaoh decided to pay us a visit," I answered with a harsh voice.  
  
"I take it, things didn't work out," Malik said, putting the pieces together.  
  
"Yeah," I said while kicking the dirt. "He wanted me to leave my patients."  
  
"Where's Shizuka?" Ryou asked.  
  
"She's with our belongings," Jou answered.  
  
"Good," I sighed with relief. "That means they can't use her to get to us."  
  
"Don't tell me you're in trouble with the pharaoh," Jou said astonished.  
  
"That's why we were running," I said.  
  
"We have to get out of the streets before they notice we're here," Ryou said with his eyes darting around for any of the pharaoh's soldiers.  
  
"True," Malik said. "I still can't believe you're wanted by him."  
  
Just as they said, Shizuka pulled up with their belongings. Hopefully some of them were their duel monsters. Sure enough, they had their duel monsters with them. Jou had his dragon and swordsman along with Ryou's Change of Hearts.  
  
As we were about to leave, the pharaoh accompanied by his army had arrived. Ryou and I ducked within our small wagon type thing. Maybe, just maybe he wouldn't be able to find us. Peering through a small crack, I noticed they had Anzu tied up and were forcing her to walk. How could they do this to her? She didn't do anything to deserve this.  
  
From the corners of my eyes, I saw Bakura's ring point towards our small wagon. I completely forgot the millennium ring can be used to locate practically anything. Silently, I cursed myself for forgetting about its ability. I will have to remember that.  
  
"Yugi, I know you're hiding in there," Yami said impatiently. "Why don't you make it easy on yourself and your friends?"  
  
Who does he think I was, Joey? I would never surrender, when there were many lives depending on me. Well, I don't know if it was several, but I know many of the poorer people counted on me for medical help, because they can't afford to go to another doctor.  
  
Before I could do or say anything, I was standing in front of Yami. What just happened? Then I glanced over to the tall brunette and discovered the millennium rod. He must have used its power to make me come out. I had to run for it, before it was too late. Just great, I couldn't move my legs. I couldn't be under the power of the millennium rod if I was able to think for myself. Then I noticed Yami. He had shadow power surrounding him.  
  
"You're beginning to annoy me," Yami stated, rather coldly.  
  
I had to think of something. Just when I had given up hope, my Dark Magician appeared with his staff aimed at Yami, whose eyes widened. He stepped back with utter shock, which caused him to release his grip on me. I knew I could count on him. Out of my deck, he and Celtic Guardian were my most loyal and faithful duel monsters.  
  
"I don't believe this," Yami gasped as he stared at my duel monster. "How can you control the Dark Magician?"  
  
"It's not that hard," I said sheepishly.  
  
"Only I can control a Dark Magician," Yami said, still not getting over the shock.  
  
"Don't worry, I can handle this," the brunette said, stepping up to Yami's side.  
  
  
  
Yami: NNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
Rei-chan: I knew that would snap him out of it.  
  
Yugi: Why did yah have to end on a cliffie?  
  
Rei-chan: Cause I wanted to put the fight in the next scene.  
  
Yugi: I see.  
  
Yami: *running around wildly waving his arm*  
  
Rei-chan: *pelts Yami with balloons full of ice cold water*  
  
Yami: BRRRRRR!!!! *glares at Rei-chan* GRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!  
  
Rei-chan: *runs before Yami can move*  
  
Yugi: I sense a pattern here. 


	6. To the Victor Goes the Spoils

Yami: Yah think? *soaking wet*  
  
Marik: Finally, a part in this fic.  
  
Yami: Who cares.... Where is she?  
  
Yugi: Who?  
  
Yami: Rei-chan.  
  
Yugi: She's probably hiding somewhere.  
  
Yami: *smirk*  
  
Marik: I wouldn't get too cocky pharaoh.  
  
Yami: *face falls*  
  
Rei-chan: *in hiding* *thinks* This is gonna be sweet! *prepares for her next prank*  
  
Marik: I think I'll hang out with your hikari.  
  
Yami: You had better not touch him!  
  
  
  
"I don't believe this," Yami gasped as he stared at my duel monster. "How can you control the Dark Magician?"  
  
"It's not that hard," I said sheepishly.  
  
"Only I can control a Dark Magician," Yami said, still not getting over the shock.  
  
"Don't worry, I can handle this," the brunette said, stepping up to Yami's side.  
  
  
  
The brunette stepped into our view. Jou had his duel monsters ready at a moments notice. Anzu had enough of the trouble with her current position, called out to her duel monster. The Magician of Faith appeared and freed the girl without much trouble, since almost everyone was preoccupied with out duel. Ryou's duel monster stood ready and waiting for orders. Even though the others had not summoned their duel monsters, they were ready and alert.  
  
"I think my duel monster can handle this Dark Magician," the brunette said arrogantly.  
  
"Seth, you can never be certain," Yami said cautiously.  
  
He was right about one thing. You can never be certain of the outcome. If you underestimate your opponents, you will most likely lose. If he summoned his Blue Eyes White Dragon, it meant I will have to power up my Dark Magician so that he can withstand such a force. At 3,000 attack points, the Blue Eyes White Dragon had a natural advantage over 2,500, but with the addition of the Yami and Book of Secret Arts card, he stood a chance of defeating the legendary dragon. I don't think he knows about it.  
  
"I summon the Blue Eyes White Dragon," Seto said in a loud voice. Thought so, I knew Seto was attached to his dragon so this one must be also.  
  
The dragon appeared as his master summoned him. My Dark Magician backed off a little, before standing his ground. I had this strange feeling coming from him. He felt angry and protective at the same time. Taking in what I felt, I could tell that he wanted to protect me; yet, at the same time, he was scared of the dragon. I don't blame him, since he had 500 less attack points than the other duel monster.  
  
"This should be good," Yami said, leaning forward.  
  
Bakura, Marik, and Honda managed to catch up with Yami. Standing off to one side, they watched as the battle unfolded. Honda stood on guard, ready to help his highness or the high priest, should they need the assistance. Anzu, who escaped earlier, now joined our ranks with her duel monster beside her.  
  
"I use the Book of the Secret Arts to power up my duel monster," I said while holding up the aforementioned card. My duel monster gained additional attack points. Holding up another card, I also used it to help my Dark Magician. "I use the darkness card."  
  
"What kind of sorcery is this?" Seth asked with a menace to his voice.  
  
"This is card magic," I shrugged, not thinking of a better answer.  
  
"We'll back you up," Honda announced as he summoned his Cyber Commander.  
  
Bakura summoned his Man Eater Bug. "This should be no problem."  
  
"Oh no, you don't," Jou said before summoning his Red Eyes Black Dragon. "We're behind you Yugi, and you can count on it."  
  
Ryou summoned his Change of Hearts card and prepared for the battle to come. His duel monster appeared before him. "We're not going to abandon you at a time like this."  
  
The crowd around us increased as they watched us dueling in the streets. They should be running out of here by now. Why weren't they? I don't want them to be injured. We will have to extra precaution. I have enough patients already; I don't need more.  
  
"Why don't you surrender and make it easier on yourself," Bakura suggested as his duel monster closed in on Ryou's Change of Hearts.  
  
"I won't!" Ryou returned to his look alike.  
  
"Attack!" Seth ordered his dragon to attack my duel monster.  
  
My Dark Magician stood there, waiting for the attack to hit. When the hit landed, he was able to deflect it skywards, surprising the crowd and the high priest. My duel monster attacked his dragon, only to have it fail. It seemed our duel monsters were evenly matched. I have to do something about it. I picked out another card. Holding it up, I summoned my darkness card, which boosted my Dark Magician's attack.  
  
"Dark magic attack!" I ordered my duel monster.  
  
He sent his attack flying at the Blue Eyes White Dragon. Fortunately his attack was stronger than the dragon's and sent the dragon back to the shadow realm. Jou and Malik cheered heartily for our side, while Ryou took a deep breath of relief.  
  
"You're the first person who has ever survived Seto's Blue Eyes White Dragon attack," Yami said with disbelief before pulling out five cards. "I summon Exodia!" His duel monster appeared in front of him. Very few had the power to tame such a duel monster. That was why they had split him into five pieces.  
  
"I don't believe my eyes," Jou gasped as he saw the powerful duel monster.  
  
"I thought none existed," Ryou also gasped at the sight.  
  
"They say only a powerful magician can control an Exodia," Malik added.  
  
I stood there unphased by this recent development. The others panicked when they had seen the powerful monster, but I have seen the god cards, not to mention I had one in my deck, but I dare not use it, since it was very powerful. Second, I don't want anyone else knowing about the card.  
  
"Aren't you scared?" Shizuka asked me.  
  
"No," I answered tactfully.  
  
"I would be," Tea muttered as her Magician of Faith was sent back to the shadow realm.  
  
Ryou's Change of Hearts tried to take over the duel monster for one turn, but the monster proved to be too powerful. His duel monster also ended up in the shadow realm. Soon my dark magician joined the other two. We were down to zero duel monsters, while Yami had his Exodia out. This wasn't good for us.  
  
Before I knew it, my knees had given way and I was on the ground. I struggled to get back up, when I faced the pharaoh, I could see the his third eye glowing. He must be using his shadow powers. I glanced over to the others, who were also going through the same experience. Jou, Tea, Anzu, and Ryou had blacked out. Malik and I were the only two barely staying conscious.  
  
We both fought against the incoming darkness as much as we could until we both passed out. I don't remember much between: the time we had both fallen to the time we completely blacked out. I recalled the pharaoh coming to my side and inspecting me, before hauling me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.  
  
When I woke up, I found myself in strange room. Something cold hung around my neck. I moved over toward the mirror to find a ruby encrusted collar on my neck. What does this mean? My clothes have also been changed. It wasn't the ordinary clothes, which I had bought at my new home. They were more elegant and made of softer material. I brushed my hand against its smooth texture.  
  
"Where is everyone?" I asked myself, while inspecting the room. Neither of the girls was here. Ryou, Malik, and Jou weren't here either. "And what does this mean?" I tugged at my collar.  
  
I advanced towards the door before pulling on the door handles. When they refused to budge, I tried again and again. Still, they wouldn't move. I must be locked in, which could only mean that I was captured. Oh crap! My deck! I reached into my pocket and with a relieved sigh, pulled out my entire deck.  
  
Padding toward the bed, I shuffled through my deck, hoping that whoever tried to take them didn't look through them. That also brought into mind, why didn't they take it away from me. They knew I could summon any of my duel monsters and break out of here. I picked up my Dark Magician card and tried to summon him, but he didn't appear as usual. Just great, this collar must be blocking my ability to summon my duel monsters.  
  
My duel monsters will have to wait, as I had more pressing matters at hand. I reached over to my collar and tried to pry it off. Man, this thing was stronger than it felt. This was going to be harder than I had originally thought. Maybe Malik can help me. He and Jou were the strongest out of our group. Unfortunately, neither of them was here. I don't know how long I had been at it.  
  
When I glanced upward, I found myself staring into ruby eyes. I immediately tried to back away, but he had pinned me before I had a chance. He had a smirk on his face, while my heart raced and breathing became shallow.  
  
I squirmed under his grasp and tried to get way, but he was way too strong for me. In the end, I only made myself tired. He, on the other hand, didn't even break a sweat. Why won't he get off of me? What did I ever do to deserve this?  
  
"You shouldn't be taking that off," Yami said with a smirk. "It could be dangerous to your health." With that he got off of me.  
  
What did he mean by that? What was this collar for? I gingerly tugged at the collar.  
  
Turning around Yami faced me. "I suppose you're wondering why I told you that." I nodded my head to answer yes. He continued, "Around here, we have many slaves. Those slaves belong to anyone in my palace. That collar indicates you belong to me and only me. No one will lay a finger on you, if they know what's good for them."  
  
This was wonderful. Now, I belonged to the pharaoh. From what I heard the other told me, I should never question the pharaoh. I nodded my head to acknowledge the statement. There, I have answered him, without using my voice. That should be good enough.  
  
"Good," Yami said with cold eyes. Those same eyes stared me into the ground. "Today, you will be acquainted with the palace and routine. I expect you to be up to speed by tomorrow. As for your healing capabilities, we'll see how you follow orders." I nodded my head again. "One of the servants should be coming around with your instructions."  
  
He turned on his heels, leaving me alone in this room. I had wanted to be with Yami, but I didn't want to be with this one. He made Seto Kaiba look all warm and fuzzy, which he absolutely did not. Sitting up on my bed, I wondered how my life ended up this way.  
  
A soft knock on the door snapped my train of thought. A black haired boy poked his head into the room. "His highness has asked me to show you around."  
  
"Sure," I answered, sliding off the bed.  
  
"My name is Mokuba, I'm Seth's younger brother," Mokuba greeted me.  
  
"My name is Yugi," I informed him, as we were exchanging names.  
  
"Heya Yugi!" Jou greeted me from behind the younger boy.  
  
"Watch it!" Mokuba glared at Jou, who grinned sheepishly. "Ryou and Malik are with me."  
  
When I had walked out of the room, I discovered Ryou and Malik, leaning against a wall. All three of them had collars, just like mine. Jou's had dark blue stones instead of rubies. Ryou's held diamonds. Malik's collar held light blue stones.  
  
"Each of your collars represents the different people who own you," Mokuba started his explanation, once all four of us had been gathered. The pharaoh owns Yugi, Bakura owns Ryou, the high priest owns Jou, and Marik owns Malik. Any questions?"  
  
"What do these collars do?" I asked him curiously.  
  
"They prevent you from summoning your duel monsters and help locate you if you should ever escape," Mokuba explained. "It was Marik's idea to make them. I didn't believe the pharaoh would actually agree to his idea."  
  
"This is wonderful," Jou groaned. "I can't even summon my dragon."  
  
"You have a dragon?" Mokuba asked with wide eyes.  
  
"Red Eyes Black Dragon," Jou stated.  
  
"Cool!" Mokuba exclaimed. "I've always wanted to see one of those."  
  
"I wonder how our duel monsters are holding out," Ryou spoke up, from where he was standing.  
  
"They're doing fine," Malik said casually.  
  
"Your duties are to attend to your masters," Mokuba continued where he left off. "You are to follow them, unless they tell you otherwise. When they are in meetings, you are to return back to your quarters to await further orders."  
  
"I can't believe I would end up serving that stuck up priest," Jou pouted. He folded his arms across his chest.  
  
"My brother isn't stuck up," Mokuba defended his older brother.  
  
"You mentioned something about showing us around," Ryou intervened, not wanting a fight to erupt. "Maybe we can start."  
  
"No problem," Mokuba said.  
  
With that, he had given us a tour around the palace. We needed to know the place, before we started serving our new masters. They wouldn't take it lightly, if we got lost. Also, along the way, he explained to each of us our specific tasks.  
  
  
  
Rei-chan: This is a new year's gift.  
  
Yugi: Bout time you updated.  
  
Rei-chan: If you weren't cute, I wouldn't have let that comment slide.  
  
Marik: You should have seen Yami.  
  
Yugi: What happened to him?  
  
Yami: *storms through the door covered in flour*  
  
Yugi: What happened to you?  
  
Yami: Rei-chan.  
  
Rei-chan: *has a halo over her head*  
  
Yami: *glares daggers at Rei-chan*  
  
Rei-chan: *pelts Yami with water balloons* There's your bath.  
  
Yami: -- Why did I see this coming?  
  
Yugi: Because she's too clever for you.  
  
Marik: *rotflol*  
  
Yami: I despise you all. 


End file.
